Lumber-elevator



(No Model.)

I H. T. RUNYAN.

LUMBER ELEVATOR." No. 332,213. Patented Dec. 8, 1885.

A TTOR/VE'Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY T. RUNYAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LUM BER-ELEVATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 332,213, dated December 8 1885.

Application filed Octoher20, 1885. Serial No. 180,460. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRY T. RUNYAN, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Lumber-Elevators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, in which Figurel is a perspective view of a mechanism for elevating lumber and embodying my improvements; Fig. 2, an enlarged perspective of a section of the chain with grappling-hook attached thereto; Fig. 3, an enlarged perspective of one supporting-bracket.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an elevator for raising lumber to the upper portion of a stack on which it is to be piled and which shall be adapted for handling the various kinds of lumber which is to be stacked for drying, and at the same time be sufficiently strong and rapid in its movement for handling light lumber, and susceptible of having its motion controlled by changing the crank to another portion of the gearing.

Heretofore lumber-elevators have been so constructed that the person who feeds the machine has to wait for the carrying or grapplinghook to come to the proper position at the lower part of the front of the frame before the lumber can be placed in the position to be elevated, and as a result either the man at the crank has to wait for the feeder or the feeder has to wait for the man at the crank, which results in a loss of time and perplexity in operation. I remedy this last-mentioned difficulty by means of sharp V-shaped brackets, which project inward from the insides of the principal frame-pieces, and which have bars extending both downward and upward, to strengthen said frame-pieces at the places where the gearing is attached. The inner ends of these V-brackets do not meet, but leave sufficient space between their points for the elevating-hook to pass. In practice the lower end of the plank or board is placed on top of these V-brackets, and in that position is caught by the hook and elevated. This construction is such that where short lumber is being stacked two boards may be elevating nects with the lower bars, K, of the V-brackets J, the upper bars, I, being secured to the frame by bolts or screws. Suitable boxes, 8 s s, are attached to each main piece of the frame, and fitted to turn therein are three shafts, t t t to which are affixed cog-gear c d 6, respectively. For ratios 6 may be 8, d 12, and c 5.

As shown, I) is a crank which drives first the gear e to elevate lumber of medium weight. For the heaviest lumber, the crank I) is to drive the shaft of gear 0, and for the lightest lumber the crank is to drive the shaft of wheel (I. If desired, the two other cranks may have more or less sweep than the one shown.

The top of the elevator carries a sprocketwheel, 0, on a shaft, a, which turns in suitable bearings. The other sprocket-wheel,D,is attached to the shaft of gear 0 and drives the ordinary endless chain, E.

If desired, the upper boxes supporting shaft a may be adjustable on the frame A A, and compensate for the expansion and contraction of the parts.

F F n represent an elevating-hook, F being the straight bar, and a the hook which joints the bar to the endless chain c, and F is the hook which engages the lumber, and to give it a proper hearing it extends from its connection end over two links of the chain.

I do not confine myself to the form of the V- brackets for supporting the lumber, as other suitable inwardly-projecting supports would serve the same purpose; but I prefer to connect the supports J with the bars I K, as shown, as being the better construction. This elevator as organized locates the cranks for either of the wheels in a convenient position to be turned by hand,and places the drive sprocketwheel at the lower end of the endless chain, whereby there is no possibility of the chain getting out of gear.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim and desire to' secure by Letters Patent of the the elevating chain and hooks F; frame A A, United Statesslides B, and the gearing for running the 1. In lumber-elevators, the combination of chain, as and for the purpose specified. the frame A A, slides B, chain E, and hook HARRY T. RUNYAN. 5 F with the gearing c d e, for giving different Witnesses:

motions to the chain, as specified.

2. The lumber-supports J, combined with WM. R. GARROW. W. T. STEWARD. 

